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HBS alum talks about effective altruism and founding and ultimately closing MBAs Across America at TED:

Casey Gerald speaks at TED2016 – Dream, February 15-19, 2016, Vancouver Convention Center, Vancouver, Canada. Photo: Bret Hartman / TED Casey Gerald’s story begins in an East Texas church on the night of December 31, 1999, as he joined his congregation to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world.…

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By Libby Koerbel Engaging a room of more than 100 people for two straight hours is no easy task, but the Women’s Business Association (WBA), Professor Victoria Medvec, Dean Sally Blount and an all-star panel of three female alumnae pulled it off. One of the panelists summed it up perfectly afterward when she said, “I […]

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To begin with the MBA application process each candidate has to go through some basic rules, thus each B- schools have their own standard procedure to obtain students. These includes… GMAT/GRE score and GPA Professional Experience Community Experience Personal Profile Fit for you Formula The GMAT There is no doubt that your GMAT score or […]

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Your first task is to define what you are looking for in your MBA, where you see yourself afterwards and how much effort you are willing to put into the program. Before you even start to look at schools, you should ask yourself the following questions:

Do you want to study abroad or would you prefer to remain in the country where you are right now? If abroad – are you planning to return or would you rather settle down somewhere else?

What is your main intention of the MBA? It could be a planned change of industry and/or position, the next step towards a promotion, a desire to expand your network, the attempt to get international exposure or an approach to leave your comfort zone and let your views be challenged.

Define how important the brand of the school is for your plans. Do you have to rely on the career services team to find a job? Should recruiters have heard of your school or is that not of importance in your target industry?

Do you thrive in large groups or do small team sizes allow you to excel? Would you rather have some internal competition or a focus on teamwork and collaboration?

Having answers to these questions will make your decision process easier. However, if you are still unsure in a certain area you can also come back to this later.

Now it is time to start narrowing down your selection:

Stage A — USA vs Europe vs Asia

To make this first decision, it is important to know where you are going to look for a job after the MBA. US schools have the longest history and many of them are considered the best in the world. However, the level of international diversity is fairly low compared to European schools. Harvard Business School’s class of 2017, for instance has 71% students from North America whereas INSEADs class of 2017 is diversely represented by Europe (37%), Asia (31%), North America (14%), Middle East/Africa (10%) and Latin America (7%).

Study where you want to work. U.S. schools mainly teach U.S. related business cases, give you a strong U.S. network and have companies hiring for the U.S. job market on campus. You will be perfectly prepared for the States, but if you plan on working in Europe or Asia these things will be less relevant.

The same goes for Asia: Choose a school based in Asia if you have a dedicated interest to work there, to learn an Asian language or to develop intense networking relations to the continent. If none of those apply, cross it out.

European schools are more global: you will develop deep connections to classmates from many countries and will see them re-locate to all corners of the world once the MBA is over. Anyhow, the focus is again local: you will mainly meet recruiters who are looking to hire for the European job market. And here even the country choice inside Europe becomes important because in most of the cases you will need to speak the local language of the country where you want to work in. Study in Barcelona and learn Spanish if you want to work in Spain. Go to Paris and learn French to get a position in France. If you are from Europe and plan on returning home after the MBA, consider the additional language as a plus for your profile.

Stage B — 1-year vs 2-year program

Once you are sure with the continent, you will have to pick the program length.

Do you already have a great position at work where you want to return to as quickly as possible with your newly earned MBA knowledge? Are you not interested in an international exchange program or in an industry switch where an internship could help you? Go with the 1-year option. You will experience a fully packed intensive year where you will learn all the business skills, have ample networking opportunities and start with your post-MBA job hunt from day one. However, you will not have much time to reflect and try out new things. A year is quickly over and your game plan should be set out already before you start.

The 2-year option will give you a similarly intensive first year where you will cover all the main subjects. You will have more time to find yourself and learn about all the interesting experiences from your classmates, though. The second year with its international exchange and corporate internship gives you ample opportunity to try out a new industry and re-position yourself during the MBA. If you are still open for different industries and want to take as much as possible from the MBA experience, a 2-year program is the best fit for you.

Stage C — Rankings / Tier 1 vs Tier 2

Now that you have a rough idea of how your MBA program of choice should look like, it is time to consult the rankings. In the end it is about personal fit, but rankings normally correspond to the brand awareness that recruiters have towards the several schools and are a good indicator if the schools can be considered tier 1, tier 2 or even tier 3.

Start with the schools that have been continuously in the Top 10 (Top 20) over the past couple years and cross-compare different rankings (Financial Times, Economist, Forbes, Bloomberg, Business Insider). Work your way down from the top and cross out all the schools that do not comply with your Stage A and Stage B requirements.

You should be left with only a couple of schools that make it into Stage D.

Stage D — School specific pros and cons

This is the part where you actually have to conduct your own research. You are trying to figure out which of the schools are strong in the areas that you consider important. Now it is not only about facts and figures but also about your personal feeling towards the school. Can you picture yourself studying there? Assess the following areas to get a full overview:

Campus location

Country / Area

City vs village

Lively and crowded campus vs quiet campus

Commute distance and time from housing to campus

Language

Climate

Class profile

Diversity of nationalities

Diversity of industries

Male / female ratio

GMAT average

Class size and overall students

Atmosphere

Collaborative vs competitive

Conservative vs liberal

Interpersonal relationships

Strength of bonds formed

Individual support

Curriculum

Electives

Entrepreneurship

Exclusive opportunities such as business labs or real world consulting projects

Case method vs various teaching methods

Grading system (bell curve?)

Intensity

Demanding vs relaxed

Amount of workload

Time pressure

Reputation

Industry ties

Hiring firms on campus

Partnership with other business schools

Brand awareness

Mission values and goals

Costs and Scholarship

Total tuition fees

Living expenses

Likelihood to receive a scholarship

Alumni network

Size and spread of alumni network

Interpersonal bond of alumni and personal identification with the school

Number, frequency, size, and location of alumni events

Industry focus

In which field do most graduates find a job?

What is the school known for?

Career services quality

Percentage of students finding a job after the MBA

Total salary and salary increase

Once you completed all four stages you will have a selection of schools that you can apply to. Get in touch with the admission team to discuss your profile and get help with your application. Be aware that a campus visit will not only give you great insight on the “feel” of the school but will also give you an edge in your application essays. Towards the admission committee, it is a strong sign of dedication and will be considered in your favor.

All the best with finding your future business school!

About the Author

Andreas on the roof of IESE in Barcelona

Andreas is a Class of 2018 MBA candidate at IESE Business School in Barcelona. He went from his first MBA research in October to taking the GMAT in December to getting 100% school admits in January. As a diploma master mariner, he currently sails the world on a 500-person cruise ship where he leads 160 crew members. His interest in the management world was sparked when he interned in his families maritime ship supplier business. He loves to read about tech, innovation, and stock markets and keeps himself fit with running, gym workouts, and football. You can read more from Andreas on his blog at barcelonamba.wordpress.com.

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By Eric Wulf The Kellogg Net Impact Club recently interviewed Megan Kashner ’03, Kellogg’s new director of social impact. Kashner brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the social and non-profit sectors. Kashner is founder and CEO of Benevolent, a non-profit organization that redesigned how people experience the stories of low-income families and how […]

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Online courses in general, gives you the opportunity to enhance your career and persue your dreams. Over and above online courses an online courses like online management course makes the same much affordable for the learners. If you a doing a full time job and you cannot attend regular classes, this is the best for you. […]

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By Kristen Zhou Coming from a background in finance and engineering, I often solve business problems and improve operational performance using hypothesis-based analytical thinking and data analysis. When I was exposed to the design thinking approach for the first time as a MMM student, it struck me how many transformative design innovations have been created […]

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Published on Dec 18, 2015 Reaching OUT is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to educating, inspiring and connecting current and future LGBT MBAs and professionals through year-round programming. This programming includes the annual Reaching Out LGBT MBA & Business Graduate Conference (ROMBA Conference), the national LGBT MBA Fellowship, providing scholarship and leadership opportunities for LGBTQ and […]

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In my quest to prepare for business school I recently read a book by three graduates of a top US MBA program. I’m glad I did because Mastering the MBA changed how I’ll measure success at business school. That revelation is the subject of this week’s post. *** By the time you sit down at your first MBA […]